Kimberli Werner: Unique Handbags Fit for a Goddess
Handbag designer Kimberli Werner names each of her bags after a world goddess because each one has its own personality. In fact, not only do all of her bags have their own personality, they also have their own unique materials as Werner specializes in recycling worldly artifacts and materials into her designs.
“I have always had an interest in the unique bag,” said Werner. “Growing up, I used to raid the local thrift stores for their unusual bags from the 30s and 40s.”
“As for education, I have a degree in Apparel Management, as I thought I would go on to design clothing. My background is in patternmaking and construction,” explained Werner. “But I found that I don’t have the patience that goes into that sort of design. I like to see results in hours, rather than days. So, that is when I started designing smaller items. I can make the pattern, cut it, sew it, and use it all in the same day.”
Werner lives in New Mexico and strives to include a piece of the world and more than a little bit of individuality into each bag. “I love working with recycled fabrics and remnants,” said Werner. “When I have to describe the bags, I say that they are influenced by layers, movement and color.”
“Each bag consists of layers of different kinds of fabrics,” said Werner of her designs. “The outermost layer is always a sheer fabric. In between the two top layers, I sew small trinkets and coins from around the world. That inspires the movement as each individual trinket is sewn into its own little area depending on the flow of the stitch of the sewing machine. I call them the ‘floating objects,’ as they float between the layers of the fabric. The colors just come naturally from the variety of fabrics I use. I have been working mainly with recycled kimono fabric lately, which provides some gorgeous colors and patterns.”
Werner said that her most unique creation was a bag that she created for her cousin. She used paper money that her cousin had saved from her world travels as some of her ‘floating objects.’ “Paper bills from other countries are always so beautiful and colorful, and they just added another dimension to the bag.”
Being somewhat of an introvert, Werner admits that she hasn’t been as gung ho about selling her bags as she is about designing and sewing them. “I first began selling my bags through word of mouth and the internet. The less I had to deal with people face-to-face, the better.”
So far the online marketplace has been the perfect place for people-shy Werner to peddle her wares. She has a successful website and never had to meet or deal with most of her clients in person. This is just the way she likes it. Werner’s website can be found at www.ap2creativedesigns.com.
